For Day 4's second blog, please review Foreign Policy magazine's 2008 list of the "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" who are "some of the world’s most introspective philosophers and rabble-rousing clerics. A few write searing works of fiction and uncover the mysteries of the human mind. Others are at the forefront of modern finance, politics, and human rights...we reveal the thinkers who are shaping the tenor of our time" (Foreign Policy).
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4314#bios
Familiarize yourself with three by googling them. In the blog today, list your three and share a few surprising, interesting, or remarkable findings about each. Next, is there a person or people not on the list that you think should be? Tell why.
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Anna Applebaum-
lived in London and Warsaw during the 1990s, and was for several years a widely read columnist for London's Evening Standard newspaper. She wrote about the workings of Westminster, and opined on issues foreign and domestic.
columnist and member of the editorial board of the Washington Post.
London in 1992, she became the Foreign Editor, and later Deputy Editor, of the Spectator magazine. Following that, she wrote a weekly column on British politics and foreign affairs, which appeared at different times in the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Telegraph, and the Evening Standard newspapers. She covered the 1997 British election campaign as the Evening Standard's political editor. For several years, she wrote the "Foreigners" column in Slate magazine.
Neil Gershenfelds-
Director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms
Technology from his lab has been seen and used in settings including New York's Museum of Modern Art and rural Indian villages, the White House and the World Economic Forum, inner-city community centers and automobile safety systems, Las Vegas shows and Sami herds
has been selected as a CNN/Time/Fortune Principal Voice and by Prospect/FP as one of the top 100 public intellectuals. Dr. Gershenfeld has a BA in Physics with High Honors and an honorary Doctor of Science from Swarthmore College, a Ph.D. from Cornell University, was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard University Society of Fellows, and a member of the research staff at Bell Labs.
Tony Judt
University Professor and director of the Remarque Institute at NYU. His research interests include French social history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and French and European intellectual and political history since World War II. A frequent contributor to many journals in Europe, the U.S., and the Middle East, Judt is also the author or editor of 12 books, including his latest work, Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, published last year.
The University Professorship Lecture series was established to recognize faculty who have recently been appointed as University Professors at NYU. University Professorships are conferred upon outstanding scholars in recognition of the interdisciplinary dimension and breadth of their work.
The title for my book post war originated with my eleven-year old son. He was getting frustrated with my inability to come up with a title and asked me what the book was about. I said that it was about the way in which the Second World War lasted so long in Europe in terms of memory, impact, and consequences so that much of Europe since 1945 was in a postwar shadow. So he said, “Well, call it Postwar.” The title very much reflects the book’s emphasis on the place of the Second World War and everything that happened in that war in the second half of the 20th century.
As for the second part of the question:
I am not big on top intellectuals so I have never even heard of anybody on that list in the first place (well one or two of them I have heard of). I do not know of anybody (that I can come up with right now) to add to the list.
Richard Posner-
-Born January 11, 1939
-Currently on the Supreme Court of Appeals in Chicago
-Helped start the law and economics movement while a professor at the University of Chicago Law School
-Posner's greatest influence is through his writings on law and economics—The New York Times called him "one of the most important antitrust scholars of the past half-century."
-Was considered for a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, but his political stand on certain issues like legalizing marijuana is said to most likely keep him off the bench.
-He famously opposed the right of privacy in 1981, arguing that the kinds of interests protected under privacy are not distinctive. He contended that privacy is protected in ways that are economically inefficient.
-He has characterized the U.S.'s "War on Drugs" as "quixotic." In a 2003 CNBC interview, he discussed the difficulty of enforcing criminal marijuana laws and asserted that it is hard to justify the criminalization of marijuana compared to other substances.
Robert Putnam
-born 1941 in Port Clinton, Ohio
-Putnam developed the influential two-level game theory that assumes international agreements will only be successfully brokered if they also result in domestic benefits.
-His most famous (and controversial) work, Bowling Alone, argues that the United States has undergone an unprecedented collapse in civic, social, associational, and political life (social capital) since the 1960s, with serious negative consequences.
-n recent years, Putnam has been engaged in a comprehensive study of the relationship between trust within communities and their ethnic diversity. His conclusion based on over 40 cases and 30 000 people within the United States is that, other things being equal, more diversity in a community has a correlation [expressed as a beta equal to 0.04 in a multiple regression analysis (see Putnam, 2007)], to less trust both between and within ethnic groups.
Daniel Dennett
-born March 28, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts
-In 1965, he received his D.Phil. in philosophy from Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied under the ordinary language philosopher Gilbert Ryle.
-While at Oxford, Dennett has claimed, he introduced the first frisbee to the United Kingdom.
-Dennett is currently (May 2007) the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, University Professor, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies (with Ray Jackendoff) at Tufts University.
-He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1987.
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Fareed Zakaria is a very interesting author of several books who has appeared on The Daily Show a few times. With regular speaking engagements and columns, such as posted weekly in Newsweek, his popularity has earned the respect of many. The focal point of his career is foreign affairs. He attempts to explain how the anti-American hostility does more harm than good to the rest of the world. In his most recent book The Post American World the theme discusses how the rest of the globe could prosper with equal presence vs. one dominating country.
Ester Duflo can be considered a supporter of the underdog. With many accolades here submissions of work encourages people to overcome the economic barriers that influence their society. She currently is with the economics department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Duflo attempts to evaluate the causes of economic repression and to triumph over these issues.
Neil Gershenfeld is an American computer engineer who is most famous for his role in the creation of the first quantum computer. Quantum physics is the basis that objects do not necessarily have a defined state. An example would be a photon light passing through a screen and forming a wave like pattern. His theory suggests by studying natural intelligence insight is given to create artificial intelligence.
Bill Gates would be an excellent candidate for the public intellectual list. Gates himself did not create Microsoft products but were made by people who work for the company. But instead of bailing out at the first signs of success he has taken the company to such a high level that is now global. Through patience and perseverance new products are constantly being created that are being utilized in today’s society.
The second part of this question is hard for me to answer as i dont really know any intellects out there. I only recognized like 1 from the list.
Prof. Neil Gershenfeld: United States; Professor at MIT, Physicist and Computer Scientist.
He is a professor at MIT and is director of their Center for Bits and Atoms. He has his own labs where they are trying to break down the boundaries of the digital and physical world by creating many ingenious inventions. He and I’m sure his lab partners have made molecular quantum computers, virtuosic musical instruments and technology from his lab has been seen and used in many important places such as the White House , and New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Rural Indian Villages. Neil Gershenfeld is even a published writer of many technical books and he also has patents. Some of the books he has written are “The Physics of Information Technology”, “When Things Start To Think”, and ”The Nature of Mathematical Modeling”. He has received his education from many schools; BA in Physics with high honors and an honorary Doctor of science from Swartmore College, a Ph.D. from Cornell University, was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard University Society of Fellows and a member of the research staff at Bell Labs.
Garry Kasparov: Russia; Democracy Activist and Grand Chess Master.
He was born in 1963 by the name of Gary Weinsein in Baku, Azerbaijan, USSR. He was taught chess by his father who died in a road accident when Garry was seven years old. After his dad died he changed his name to Kasperov which is a russified version of his moms’ maiden name Kasparyan. In 1975 at age 12 he became the youngest person to win the Junior Championship in Russia and became the World Junior Champion at 16. He was granted the title of Grandmaster on his 17th birthday. In 1985 Kasparov won a rematch agains Anatoly Karpov and became the youngest World Champion ever at the age of 22. In 1996 Kasparov won a six game match against IBMs’ super computer Deep Blue and the following year IBM made another super computer named Deeper Blue and Kasparov lost. Kasparov is still known as the highest rated chess player in history.
David Petraeus: United States; Military Strategist.
David was born November 7, 1952 and is 55 years old now. He has been serving in the military sin 1974 and is currently ranked as our Commanding General; he received this great honor on July 10, 2008 when it was approved by the U.S State Senate. He is in command of a lot of infantry, to list them would be to long, and David has seen and been in a number of battles including Operation Iraqi Freedom and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. General David has also fought in Bosnia, Haiti, and Kuwait. The medals this man has received is astonishing, he has earned the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two Army Distinguished Service Medals, two Defense Superior Service Medals, four Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, and a Defense Meritorious Service Medal. On top of all this he is overseeing all coalition forces in Iraq, now this is a guy I want fighting on our side.
Two people I am surprised that aren’t on the list is Bill Gates or Steve Jobs because they have helped shape the world of computers and pretty much our present along with the on coming future. They should be on the list not just because of what they invented but because of how their inventions shaped the world and to understand that without their inventions our present day would look a lot different then it does now.
J. Craig Venter
-He was a corpsman in the Navy during Vietnam
-Research that he was involved with lead to the publication of the human genome in February 2001
-Currently researching many things, including alternative energy solutions through microbial sources
Richard Dawkins
- Dawkins coined the term meme - the cultural equivalent of a gene; any cultural entity which an observer might consider a replicator
-Met his current wife through Douglas Adams, famous writer of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
-He became interested in evolution after discovering Charles Darwin.
Drew Gilpin Faust
-The first female president of Harvard University
-She calls herself an “archive rat”; she is a Civil War history enthusiast.
-She was appointed the first dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
-She is Harvard's first president since 1672 without an undergraduate or graduate degree from Harvard
As to the second part of the question, I have to agree with most of the previous posters. I don't really have someone I think should be added to the list. I only recognized two of the names on it.
Howard Gardner
-Born July 11, 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania
-Is an American psychologist who is based at Harvard graduate School of Education
-Best known for his theory of multiple intelligences
Howard Gardner has established himself as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the topics of intelligence, creativity, leadership, professional responsibility, and the arts. He is the author of many research titles. He is also a recognizable figure in the popular media, having served as a producer and consultant for several television programs.
Al Gore
-Born March 31, 1948 in Washington, D.C.
-Served as the forty-fifth Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001
-Involved in American politics for over three decades, serving first in the U.S. House of Representatives and later in the U.S. Senate
Al Gore is currently the founder and chair of Alliance for Climate Protection, the co-founder and chair of Generation Investment Management, the co-founder and chair of Current TV, a member of the Board of Directors of Apple Inc, and a senior advisor to Google. Gore is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize award in 2007.
Alma Guillermoprieto
-Born May 27, 1949 in Mexico City
-Mexican journalist who has written extensively about Latin America for the British and American Press
Alma Guillermoprieto is the author of many publications. Her most recent book is Dancing with Cuba. She has received a number of fellowships, among them a Mac Arthur and a 2005 Nieman, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
William Henry Gates III (Not on the list)
-Born October 28, 1955 in Seattle Washington
-An American business magnate, philanthropist, and the world’s third richest person
-One of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution
Bill Gates is the chairman of Microsoft and has previously held the positions of CEO and chief software architect. He remains the largest individual shareholder with more than 8 percent of the common stock. He has also written several books.
Slavoj Zizek is a professor the European Graduate School. He Used popular culture to explain the theory of Jacques Lacan, and used that to ecplain politics. It is said that he is most likely the most successful and prolofic post-Lacanian, and he has published over fiftey books.
Muhammad Yunus has recently been awarded to James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award. Yunus has some valuable traits such as: visionary leadership, helping the poor, and wanting the tech. industry to work more to empower the poor. He has created many businesses some in bangladesh. His businesses include: fish-farming, knitwear, business, and health service providers.
Yan Xuetong is the director of the Institute of International Studies, member of the CSCAP, and China arms Control Association. He is the author of 5 books, numerous papers, and has won the 1998 China Book Price. He has a PHD which he recieved at the University of California for political science, he has also recieved a Masters in International relations.
Drew Gilpin Faust
She was 28th president of Harvard University and the first woman president. She was elected on July 1, 2007. She is a historian who studies the civil war and the American south and is also the Lincoln Professor of History in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Before becoming president she was the first dean of Radcliffe Institute.
Bernard Lewis
He was born on May 31, 1916 in London England. He was a British-American Historian, Orientalist, and a political commentator. He is also the Cleveland E. Dodge professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. His work and advice is held with high regards and has even been used by the Bush administration. He has also written over 25 books on history and the middle east.
Michael Spence
He was born November 7, 1943 in Montclair, New Jersey. He won the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for their work on the dynamics of information flows and marketed development. He attended Harvard University. In 1966 he was awarded Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University upon graduation from Princeton University with a degree in philosophy. He was the former dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is currently the Chair of the Commissions on Growth and Development.
Drew Gilpin Faust-
She is Harvard University’s first female president.
First Harvard President not to recieve their undergrad or Masters from Harvard.
Fausts Grandfather, Lawerence Tyson was a U.S. senator for Tennesse.
Faust Graduated earned her PhD from University of Pennslyvania then became assistant professor.
Faust is a respected historian of the American Civil War and the author of six books, including most recently This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War.
Howard Gardner
-Believes that there are multiple intelligences in the human race.
"This is an idea that maintains there exist many different types of "intelligences" ascribed to human beings. In response to the question of whether or not measures of intelligence are scientific, Gardner suggests that each individual manifests varying levels of different intelligences, and thus each person has a unique "cognitive profile."
Winner of MacAuthor Prize of Fellowship and has written over 20 successful books.
Steven Levitt
Economist famous for works in the social relm. Articles about abortion, crime rates, gang activities and even sports.
Awarded the John Bates Clark metal, to the most promising economists under 40.
Wrote the famous book on Freakonomics.
--I'm not sure at this time who else I would add to the list. But like my fellow classmates I believe that Bill Gates should be thought of in this catagory.
Daniel Denett was born March 28, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts. His studies are philosopy of mind, philosphy of science, and philospy of biology. He received his doctrine from Christ Church, Oxford. He has helped to design museum exhibits on computers for the Smithsonian Institution.
Howard Gardner born July 11, 1943. He came up with the theory of multiple intelligences. Multiple intelligences is an idea that maintains there exist many different types of "intelligences" ascribed to human beings.
Marth Nussbaum born May 6, 1947. Her studies include Greek and Roman philosophy. She has an broad range of philosophies. She has argued in support of the legalization of prostitution.
Dr. Myles Munroe should be on the list. A great theologian and philospher.
Martin Wolf (speaker of global economics):
No, this is not the guy Paul Giamatti played in "Big Fat Liar" with Frankie Muniz & Amanda Bynes. But I thought it was him
- This guy has won countless awards for his journalism work on the effectiveness of globalization, and yet there are no quirky facts about him.
- Believes that China has the potential to quickly rise to the top of the economy ladder. I agree.
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Al Gore (need I say more?):
- He's a lefty, had served in Vitenam, and is fluent in Spanish. Hmm, how 'bout that? But here are some interesting (and redundant) quotes from him that I liked:
- "A zebra does not change its spots." You mean stripes? I suppose they wouldn't change, since they couldn't if they wanted to.
- "...take it from me, every vote counts." Maybe, but I beg to differ.
- "If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." Really, now? I would've have never known that!
- He made an appearance in South Park's episode titled "ManBearPig", where he constantly whines about something that likely, doesn't exist (for you SP experts, remember this was prior to the trilogy episode "Imaginationland"), so he puts up a huge facade to make people believe him. I think this is a take on how some feel he exaggerates global warming.
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Robert Kagan (columnist of the Washington Post, another media I never read):
- Supports the idea of not withdrawing from the war! And thinks our attitude about the war is just emotional baggage from 9-11.
- A BA from Yale and a MPP from Harvard!! This is just the tip of the iceberg! This man is educated, but most intellectuals are, right?
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I think William Shakespeare should have been on the list. Maybe because he's no longer alive is why he didn't make it. I remember reading somewhere that there are people who think that he's just a myth. The man was a literary genius! If you read "Romeo and Juliet" with a little more depth, each line has its own message. For example, "Romeo...Wherefore art thou Romeo?" has nothing to do with her requesting that he reveal his location.
Exceptional job here, David Morra!
Pope Benedict XVI
is a cat lover, at age 16 was drafted into the german nazi army and was apart of the Hitler youth as a child, and drinks beer.
Garry Kasparov has hosted a political assembly that interrupted by a flying penis helicopter.-http://www.youtube.com/v/2wRdKGgnd9Y&hl=en&fs=1
He also once beat a chess playing super computer [in chess]
Jacques Attali- "...Is the author of 50 books, essays, novels and theatre productions, which sold 8 million copies and were translated into more than 20 languages..."
George Carlin once said "I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death."
He should be somewhere on this list for being such a smart-a$$
Noam Chomsky- Known as the “father of modern linguistics”
He was cited as a source more frequently than any other living scholar.
He wrote his first article at the age of 10.
Pope Benedict XVI- He is the oldest person to be elected Pope since Pope Clement XII in 1730.
He was baptized on the day of his birth (4/16/1927)
He was also trained with the German infantry, but never fought in the war.
Al Gore- He served in the United States Army for two years as a journalist.
He began serving in Congress at the age of 28.
He first ran for president in 1988
I am not very familiar with most of these fascinating people, but I find them all very interesting. I would not be able to say that there is somebody else I would like to see on the list because, I have to admit, I am not very knowledgeable on the subject.
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